How this developer solved the ‘Rubik’s cube’ for $350M mixed-use project

Written by Claire Ballor

The Union Dallas, a $350 million mixed-use development on the border of Uptown and Victory Park, is almost complete after close to three years of construction.

Owned by Phoenix-based RED Development, the high-profile project on the bustling corner of Cedar Springs Road and Field Street is bringing an array of dining options, luxury apartments, office space and a Tom Thumb grocery store to the area.

Mike Ebert, managing partner of Red Development, spoke with the Dallas Business Journal about the initial vision for the project and the challenge of building a major mixed-use development on an unusual piece of land

The Union Dallas has completed the final phase of development as the remaining restaurants open in the anticipated retail portion of the property.

Most recently, Kotta Sushi Lounge (previously known as Minami) opened, offering an expansive menu of sushi rolls and Japanese entrees, plus a full bar. Serving traditional sashimi, maki rolls, and special rolls, Kotta’s sushi selection has a plethora of offerings. The restaurant also features authentic soups, salads, appetizers, and entrees and offers a special lunch menu with discounted roll combinations. Full menus are available here.

The bustling Union Dallas building, located on the border of Uptown and Harwood district, has a little more bustle with the arrival of a new sushi restaurant. Called Kotta Sushi Lounge, it’s on the second level, next door to Taco Lingo, and according to a release, it’s open for business, offering an expansive menu of sushi rolls, Japanese entrees, and a full bar.

Kotta is the second location of a same-named restaurant that opened in Frisco in 2007. The Dallas spinoff was originally going to be called Minami, but they decided at the last minute to build on the familiarity they already had with Kotta.

Even with all the shrimp goodness, this dish really is all about the broth … and soaking it up with toasted garlic bread. I bet you can imagine the aroma. I know I can.

This recipe comes from the dinner menu at The Henry in a new uptown high rise called The Union. It is one of several concepts in the pantheon of Fox Restaurants, a growing chain that started in Arizona. Flower Child, with several locations in the Dallas area, is another Fox Restaurants brand.

How often do you spot North Dallas and Park Cities Ladies Who Lunch venturing anywhere near downtown, except to a luxury department store eatery? There have been sightings at The Henry, a self-styled “neighborhood bistro.” The neighborhood is not precisely downtown or uptown but near Victory Park on the ground floor of a new mixed-use high rise, The Union.

Of course, a lot of the crowd during our hosted lunch visit was from nearby office buildings. And there was a birthday party of hair stylists and influencers celebrating at a table near ours. But much of the buzz about this place, full at lunch after only a month in operation, focuses on the rooftop bar.

Tom Thumb Opens In Uptown With a Bar and the Ability to Drink While Grocery Shopping

Written by Beth Rankin

Considering the population density of Uptown and downtown Dallas, it’s surprising that it’s taken so long to get a full-sized grocery store in the area. Sure, there’s a small Whole Foods on McKinney and a Kroger Fresh Fare on Cedar Springs, but otherwise, grocery offerings are limited — and, in the case of Whole Foods and Royal Blue Grocery downtown, are more expensive than the everyday shopper can afford.

Uptown grocery shoppers now have a new choice for getting their weekend grocery shopping done.

Tom Thumb opened a 56,000-square-foot store Friday in The Union, a $350 million high-rise office, residential, restaurant complex built by RED Development and designed by Dallas-based HKS.

To cater to the tower residents paying monthly rents starting at $2,100 — and office workers on their way home — the street-level supermarket and pharmacy is also set up for both deliveries and drive-through pickups.

A full service tom thumb grocery store just opened in Downtown Dallas.

Connie Yates with Tom Thumb said it’s the first of its kind in the area. It’s located on Field Street, walking distance from many businesses and apartments near The Union. “It’s so accessible for the people in this area because many people walk for lunch or buy their groceries, because a lot of people work and live around here… there’s a lot of foot traffic,” Yates said.